The image size limit has been raised to 1mb! Anything larger than that should be linked to. This is a HARD limit, please do not abuse it.

Our new Indie Games subforum is now open for business in G&T. Go and check it out, you might land a code for a free game. If you're developing an indie game and want to post about it, follow these directions. If you don't, he'll break your legs! Hahaha! Seriously though.

Our rules have been updated and given their own forum. Go and look at them! They are nice, and there may be new ones that you didn't know about! Hooray for rules! Hooray for The System! Hooray for Conforming!

Play "Don't Mess With Cthulhu"*! Even if you fail at bluffing, it doesn't hurt your team. You can straight up say "Hey, Investigator chums, I'm a fuckin' Cultist, come at me bro!", and it doesn't make you a pariah... it just makes the Investigators more confused! "Do we investigate his cards anyway, even though he says he has Cthulhu? What if he has Elder Signs? Oh god..."

Social deduction games often have the sort of lament that reading people (especially within the context of a game) is a valuable skill, and one that people 1) think they are good at 2) and are actually not good at. Dunning-Kruger at its finest. If you were good at reading people, you'd be playing poker and cleaning house!

* I know I evangelize this game a lot, but it solves most problems that I have with a typical social deduction game: There's no "close your fucking eyes and read a fucking script" phase, there's no player elimination, revealing your alleged identity doesn't effectively remove you from play (the "pariah effect"), there is incentive for investigators to bluff as cultists at times, and there's no voting to override your agency if you have the flashlight (the tyranny of the majority). The main disadvantage of the game (only one player has any real agency, and that's the current wielder of the flashlight) is one that's commonly shared by many social deduction games. It's not a perfect game by any means, but it's by far one of my favorite "light" social deduction games. For a heavier game that requires a LOT more rules explanation, I recommend Ultimate Werewolf: Inquisition.

Definitely got curious about the game after this post. Then I saw that it was running out of stock on CSI and already $50 on Amazon, so I ordered it. I've played Secret Hitler and Avalon a few times with a few people, enough to know it isn't always fun. So then I picked up Spyfall but haven't tried it yet, and picked up Secrets on a whim because it was in a LGS and it surprised me. I don't know how Secrets will hold up because of the randomness - but I also haven't figured out what I enjoy from these games, the bluffing (which I'm not good at) or the deduction (which I'm also not good at). So I'll have to play Spyfall, Secrets, Don't Mess With Cthulhu, and I still haven't opened Deception: Murder in Hong Kong.

Basically, I'm on the quest to find the board game apex predator. If I like Deception more than Mysterium, I'll find a new home for Mysterium or repurpose those beautiful cards for god knows what.

Dixit is a fine game for busting out on people that don't play board games. Easy to explain, easy to play (but with decent scope for "playing well") and awesome looking.

On a similar note King of New York was a hit at work. Managed to crank out rules and an entire game in just over an hour. Not bad for the first one. Managed to win with buying the gargantuan monster (+2 attack claws) card for 10 energy and laying waste to my opponents from Manhattan.

I think it'll be less of a hit with my regular group, though perhaps there'll be enough tactical considerations after some practice in it to make it appeal. As with Dixit though, it'll be great for playing with none-boardies.

My biggest issue with Mysterium is the all-or-nothing conclusion. The rest of the game gives enough card draws to mitigate bad luck to a fair degree, and I feel flows well. The end part with the final guess does not, since it's so easily tripped up.

My biggest issue with Mysterium is the all-or-nothing conclusion. The rest of the game gives enough card draws to mitigate bad luck to a fair degree, and I feel flows well. The end part with the final guess does not, since it's so easily tripped up.

Yeah the last round really spoils the game. I was sort of hoping it would be fixed in an expansion by now but I think the expansion(s) is(are) just more art

Wow, this Queen Kickstarter is just spiraling down into literal hell. So much bullshit and lies being dumped out by their new hired mouthpiece it's just crazy. The poor guy just seems to be puking up what they've told him to but yikes.

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

If someone tried to play by spouting random words, they wouldn't be invited to game with us anymore. I don't have to worry about that though, because I don't game with terrible people.

Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface - far beneath, in some cases - but I'm sure there's more to Ketar than meets the eye!

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

If someone tried to play by spouting random words, they wouldn't be invited to game with us anymore. I don't have to worry about that though, because I don't game with terrible people.

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

If someone tried to play by spouting random words, they wouldn't be invited to game with us anymore. I don't have to worry about that though, because I don't game with terrible people.

check again all people are terrible

Aww, has someone got a case of the Mondays? On a Thursday? Well, tomorrow TGIF! Turn that frown upside down

Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface - far beneath, in some cases - but I'm sure there's more to Ketar than meets the eye!

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

If someone tried to play by spouting random words, they wouldn't be invited to game with us anymore. I don't have to worry about that though, because I don't game with terrible people.

check again all people are terrible

Aww, has someone got a case of the Mondays? On a Thursday? Well, tomorrow TGIF! Turn that frown upside down

Dixit has some obvious similarities to Mysterium, but is entirely competitive, plays much faster, and is quicker to set up and quicker to explain.

I like both, but Dixit sees more play with us since it's so much easier to break out on a whim and play for a shorter period of time.

Competitive is not the word I'd use for Dixit. I agree that it's not cooperative like Mysterium is, but to me "competitive" implies that the game stands up to the rigors of people trying to play the game seriously. Dixit falls apart when someone realizes that you can do as well or better by spouting random words rather than trying to give actual clues.

If someone tried to play by spouting random words, they wouldn't be invited to game with us anymore. I don't have to worry about that though, because I don't game with terrible people.

check again all people are terrible

Aww, has someone got a case of the Mondays? On a Thursday? Well, tomorrow TGIF! Turn that frown upside down

than it's a bat'leth

A bat what? Is that one of those nerd things? Oh, Magic Pink, you're just like those boys on Big Bang Theory. Bazinga! hehehehe

Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface - far beneath, in some cases - but I'm sure there's more to Ketar than meets the eye!

Too Many Bones is not a very good game, IMO. The basic combat scenario building is not great, and the bones mechanic often means you're not getting enough bones! They named the game after the "you rolled poorly but here's a consolation prize" mechanic, which is indicative of how that mechanic is given too much weight for what it should be. I shouldn't be hoping to fail my roll because the bones ability is better than my base ability.

Trying to investigate why I have extra togs has revealed I may be missing some things from my order. Frick. Now I gotta open everything and see if it's maybe stashed in other boxes. Can't find the dice bag, extra classes pads, chests and pillars that come with the light bringer pledge.... But I seem to have 9 enemies boxes when I should only have 7? Cluster.

Trying to investigate why I have extra togs has revealed I may be missing some things from my order. Frick. Now I gotta open everything and see if it's maybe stashed in other boxes. Can't find the dice bag, extra classes pads, chests and pillars that come with the light bringer pledge.... But I seem to have 9 enemies boxes when I should only have 7? Cluster.